Things Ain't What They Used to Be

Things Is not What They Used to Be is a jazz song that was composed by Mercer Ellington in 1941 and received a Song of Ted Parsons. It is a 12 - bar blues in a major mood.

Genesis

1941 was Duke Ellington, due to labor disputes, the radio station with the ASCAP, which he belonged, can send in his live recordings none of the songs composed by him on the radio. Instead, he used a new program with songs that wrote his son Mercer and pianist Billy Strayhorn in winter 1940/41, in Chicago, as both were not members of the collecting society ASCAP. Strayhorn's compositions from this period have included also Take the ' A' Train, Chelsea Bridge and Day Dream; Mercer came Things Is not What They Used to Be, Blue Serge and Moonmist. According to the jazz musician and historian Chris Tyle comes the melody of Mercer Ellington; his father arranged but then the song for his band. " Like so many of Ellington songs live this piece from the richly varied Mood Arrangement:. , It provides the background of the soloists by sections or variations of the theme for full color change"

Development to the Jazz Standard

In July 1941, the song experienced a first recording by Johnny Hodges; Things Is not What They Used to Be was recorded in the following years, almost thirty times by the Duke Ellington Orchestra and became one of his most popular pieces in the band's repertoire, but also a number Ellington completed announcements in. Alto saxophonist Hodges played on July 3, 1941 RCA Victor with six musicians from the Ellington band, including Duke himself, the 12 - bar blues in C Major at a slower pace than the Ellington band at their performances before and is in its relaxed, atmospheric form as the definitive version.

The composition was soon also become a frequently played jazz standard, known versions, among others by Charlie Barnet, Cootie Williams, Stuff Smith, Herb Ellis, Booker Little, Marian McPartland, Charles Mingus ( Mingus Dynasty, 1959 ), Dave Brubeck, Larry Coryell, Keith Jarrett and Jacky Terrasson. Oscar Peterson played the piece several times and " worked in slow tempo convincingly out the deep blues feeling of the composition." Cecil Taylor played the piece in 1961 with stylistically different horns of Clark Terry and Archie Shepp, which is a "strange alienation a jam session deliver "

Use in films

Things Is not What They Used to Be was also used in the music films Cabin in the Sky (1943, Duke Ellington and His Orchestra ), Metro and Wonder Boys (Johnny Hodges ).